Full Details of Matthew Knies' New Deal with the Maple Leafs Finally Made Public

The Toronto Maple Leafs have been one of the busiest teams in the league over the last week or so, having taken part in a busy day two of the NHL Entry Draft, completing a trade for skilled former Utah Mammoth forward Matias Maccelli, orchestrating a sign-and-trade with the Vegas Golden Knights for Mitch Marner, and struck new deals for John Tavares and Matthew Knies.

Not only was the Tavares deal a sweetheart deal for the Maple Leafs, but Matthew Knies also left money on the table in Toronto, signing for less than $8M on a 6-year deal, when it was reported that he was looking for something in the 3-5 year range.

As far as Knies' deal goes, the extra year of term and the discounted rate weren't the only concessions he made. Knies also didn't handcuff the Leafs with a tricky no-movement clause. Instead, he opted for no protection until the final year of his deal, when he'll be able to submit a 10-team no-trade list.

Knies' deal contains a hefty signing bonus in year one of the deal, but as the contract ages, Knies will collect more in annual salary. The full terms of the deal can be viewed in the link below.

There's really not a lot to dislike about this deal from the Leafs' perspective, except the fact that the Leafs weren't able to get the maximum 8-year term on Knies before the new CBA kicks in next year and the max term drops to 7 years (6 on UFA deals).

Hopefully, Knies can continue to develop and make positive strides in the coming years, turning this contract into even more of a team-friendly deal.